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Wadhurst Bellringers

Ringers Needed

Bells are probably the loudest and most long-lasting of musical instruments. In Wadhurst church we have one of the best rings of bells in Sussex. There are 8 bells. The oldest bell has been in the tower since just after the Great Fire of London (1670) and the newest bells were added in 1955. The heaviest bell in the tower weighs over half a ton.

The bells of Wadhurst have been rung regularly for more than a century and besides being rung to remind people that a church service is about to take place they are rung to mark happy occasions like weddings and village events, the switching-on of the Christmas Lights and the marking of the Anniversaries of VE and VJ Day. Sometimes the bells are rung half-muffled for Remembrance Day or for funerals.

Unfortunately there is a real possibility that the bells will fall silent during the next few years. The average age of the ringers in our band keeps increasing and a high proportion of our ringers are over 60 years old. Unless we gain some younger recruits to the band soon there will not be enough ringers left to keep this ancient tradition alive in Wadhurst.

Ringing is a much more interesting occupation than outsiders may suppose. It is essentially a team activity where the bells are made to change order in mathematical patterns known as methods. For the ringing to be successful each ringer must memorise the work of the bell they are ringing and then make sure that the bell strikes at the correct time to fit in with all the others whether the method is a simple one or more complicated. Bellringing is nearly always misrepresented in films and on TV. You hear change ringing in historical films hundreds of years before it was invented or changes coming from towers in other European countries. In fact our style of ringing is unique to the British Isles and a few other English-speaking countries where it has been exported by emigrants.

No great physical strength is needed for ringing. Even when a heavy bell is being rung (the bells swing through a complete circle when they are being rung)  its own momentum provides most of the energy needed to keep it swinging. Neither do you have to be musical. It is impossible to sound a wrong note on a bell although like Eric Morecombe’s comment in his famous sketch although all the notes are right they will not necessarily be in the right order!   However a sense of rhythm helps to sound your bell at the right time. People of all ages from seven or eight to over ninety and of both sexes are ringers. After a few solo sessions learning to control a bell new recruits are welcomed into practices to join with the other members of the band. At present it would be quite easy for new ringers to learn at Wadhurst because we still have enough experienced ringers to fit in with, but if a situation arises where hardly any experienced ringers are available it becomes very much more difficult when several inexperienced ringers all try to learn at the same time.

One of the best things about ringing is that any ringer is always welcomed into any tower where ringing is taking place. During my lifetime I have moved from South Wales to the West Midlands and finally to Sussex. Each time I have moved to a new area where I knew no-one at all,  by going to ringing practices I immediately gained a new circle of friends. The same thing happens for ringers going to universities and colleges where there are many ringing societies. Sometimes the new acquaintances  become more than just friends.  I met my wife through ringing as did my own parents and several of my friends.

If you think you could become interested in bell ringing why not come in to one of our practices (Wednesdays 7.30-9.00) and introduce yourself or phone me (Chris Bainham) or my wife (Ann) on 01580 200466? We should be very pleased to meet anyone who would like to learn ringing or who used to ring and would like to restart.